Transcript Slide 1 - Extension Veterinary Medicine

Health and Production
Management Practices for
Nursing Beef Calves
Floron C. Faries, Jr., DVM, MS
Professor and Extension Program Leader for Veterinary Medicine
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Texas A&M System
Dehorning
 Why?
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To improve appearance
To reduce injuries due to fighting
To increase feeder or bunk space
To improve value as a feeder animal
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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Dehorning
 When?
Preferably perform at birth at birth or before 3
months of age.
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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Dehorning
 How?
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
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Chemical paste over horn button to destroy tissue
Electrical or fire hot iron around horn button to destroy blood supply
Cutting spoon or tube to scoop horn button or horn and ¼ inch ring
of hair and skin
Cutting scissor-like clipper (Barnes’) to scoop horn button or horn
and ¼ inch ring of hair, skin, and skull
Saw to remove tip of horn
Image: NSW Dept. of Primary Ind.
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Image: NSW Dept. of Primary Ind.
Hot Iron
Barnes’ Dehorner
Castrating
 Why?
Prevent mating and fighting
 To improve carcass quality
 To gentle
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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Castrating
 When?
Preferably perform at birth or before 3
months of age.
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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Castrating
 How?

Image: NSW Dept. of Primary Ind.
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Bloodless pincher (Burdizzo) to sever cord 2 inches above testicle
Bloodless pliers (elastrator) used to stretch rubber band ring and
place 2 inches above testicle to restrict blood flow
Knife used to cut bottom half of scrotum to remove testicle by
severing cord with knife, cutting/crushing pliers (emasculator) or
pulling.
Image: NSW Dept. of Primary Ind.
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Proper Restraint
Standard Surgical Castration
Identifying
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 Why?
 To claim ownership
 To conduct individual record keeping
Identifying
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 When?
 Ear methods, preferably performed at birth or
before 4 months of age
 Branding methods, preferably between 3 to 4
months of age
Identifying
Image: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 How?
 Fire hot iron or freeze cold iron to destroy hair or
pigments cells of skin on hip, thigh or shank
 Pliers to insert tag or apply tattoo between ribs of
ear and to cut notches along lower edge of ear
Electric Cattle Branding and Ear Marking
Implanting
Image: Iowa State Extension Service
 Why?
 To increase feed efficiency
 To increase rate of weight gain
Implanting Chemical Pellet
Implanting
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 When?
 Over 6 weeks of age, repeating every 100-200
days
Feed Lot Cattle Eating
Implanting
Image: Iowa State Extension Service
 How?
 Dispensing gun and needle to insert chemical
pellets under the skin in middle 1/3 of top side
of ear
Implanting Diagram
Dispensing Gun
Vaccinating
Image: Tumpline Stackyard Agriculture on the Web
 Why?
 To stimulate immunity for protection against
infectious diseases
 To prevent sickness and death
Vaccinating Cattle
Vaccinating
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 When?
 Over 2 months of age, repeating 3 weeks
before weaning
Vaccinating
 How?
 Syringe and needle to administer the vaccine
subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or
intranasally
Multi-dose Syringe
Single-dose Syringe
Deworming
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 Why?
 To reduce worm numbers
 To prevent tissue damage
 To prevent pasture contamination
 To break worms’ life cycles
Deworming
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 When?
 Over 2 months of age
 When infected
 Following 3 to 6 weeks of moderate
temperature; rainfall and wet grass
Deworming
 How?
 Syringe and needle to administer a drug
subcutaneously; syringe drench gun, hook
drench gun, balling gun, or paste gun to
administer a drug orally, and liquid dispenser
to administer a drug on back (pour-on)
Drench Gun
Hook Gun
Ball Gun
Degrubbing, Delicing, and Deflying
 Why?
 To reduce parasite numbers
 To prevent tissue damage and blood loss
 To prevent annoyance
 To break parasites’ life cycles
Hornflies
Grubs
Lice
Degrubbing, Delicing, and Deflying
Image: Texas AgriLife Extension Service
 When?
 Over 2 months of age
 When infested in summer (flies and grubs)
 When infested in winter (lice)
Degrubbing, Delicing, and Deflying
 How?
 Syringe and needle to administer a chemical
subcutaneously, dispenser to administer
topically on back (dust, pour-on, spot-on; and
pliers to insert chemical tag between ribs of
ear
Insecticide Dust Bags
Insecticide Ear Tags